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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27135203">Hesitation</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/JessWrites218/pseuds/JessWasTaken'>JessWasTaken (JessWrites218)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dream SMP - Fandom, Dream Team - Fandom, DreamSMP, Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF, mcyt</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Dream Smp, Festival Alt Ending, Gen, I hurt the boy, Major Character Injury, Major character death - Freeform, Peer Pressure, Quackity is only vaguely mentioned, Tubbo doesn't die this time, Tubbo gets hurt, just a warning, probably trauma</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 20:15:44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>726</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27135203</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/JessWrites218/pseuds/JessWasTaken</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A moment of hesitation changes the entire course of history, leaving Pogtopia to try picking up the pieces.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>No Romantic Relationship(s), Toby Smith | Tubbo &amp; TommyInnit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>159</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>MCYT Stories</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Hesitation</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Warning: I do hurt Tubbo<br/>No I don't regret it</p><p>Was vaguely inspired by an idea someone else told a server I was in, and it made me think of this idea<br/>I wrote this so fast, honestly. </p><p>Might write more on the Aftermath later on, but for now this is just a one shot.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The festival was going so well, how could this happen?<br/>
How <em>did</em> this happen?</p><p>Tubbo was trapped in a box of Jschlatt’s own design, facing Techno, his <em>friend</em>, with his crossbow drawn, a firework rocket strapped to the arrow that was aimed at his chest.<br/>
He’d already been told that Techno would not hurt him, but something in his eyes scared the shit out of him. His breathing was rough from the tension in the air as he kept his eyes locked on Techno, counting the seconds as they passed. <em>How long did he have?</em></p><p>Techno simply stared back. It was almost possible to see the cogs turning in his head if you looked hard enough, the searching gaze of the man waiting for anything to take him from the decision. Give him an out from the stressful situation he now found himself in. A choice with pressure on both ends, threatening to squish him in it’s intensity.<br/>
After a long moment, he finally sighed, murmuring just loud enough for the boy to hear,<br/>
“Sorry, Tubbo.”<br/>
The trigger clicked audibly as the arrow flew from it’s hold into the box.</p><p>The sparks burst from the open face of the box in a colorful rainbow, contrasting the gut-wrenching scream of pain that erupts from within.<br/>
He wasn’t dead, but he was damn sure close, and they both knew it.</p><p>As Techno began drawing another arrow as quickly as he could, the sobs from within the box caught his ear.<br/>
His fingers twitched with a hesitation that, had this been anything, any<em>one</em> else, he’d have never had. </p><p>His fiery eyes flicked upwards towards the source of the sound, meeting the wet eyes of the young boy, face and body burned from the eruption of heat he had just endured, the arrow stuck firmly in his shoulder.<br/>
And it hit him.</p><p>He had missed.<br/>
<em>How</em> had he missed? He had been aiming at the boy’s chest, a strong hit that should have killed the boy in one shot, almost painlessly.<br/>
<em>He missed.</em></p><p>The man’s eyes trained back down on the crossbow as he finally drew the arrow all the way back, the sobs filling his mind as it began to wander, just for a moment, to the people he had spent so much time with these past days.<br/>
<em>What must they be thinking, watching him?</em></p><p>He blinked as a new sound entered his ear.<br/>
Jshlatt was shouting, almost barking at him, “Take the shot and let’s finish this!”<br/>
<em>What must they be thinking?</em></p><p>His hand moved without a thought as he pulled the trigger. Too fast to even react.<br/>
The sparks were much more beautiful when they hit the proper target, the middle of the chest. Like a rainbow coming from the heart. And much more pretty when not trapped in a box, only visible through a small hole.</p><p>As Jshlatt’s body hit the ground with a sickening thud, it fully hit him on what he had done. As he looked to his left to gage the reaction of the closest onlooker, he was met with the sight of Quackity being tackled by Tommy.<br/>
<em>When had he gotten on stage?</em> Techno thought as he was shoved to the side, stumbling for a moment before looking behind him.<br/>
<em>Wilbur.</em> </p><p>The taller man was working to extract a badly burned and still sobbing Tubbo from the box as quickly as he could without much pain. </p><p>And it hit him.<br/>
This time, not a thought, but an arrow, one to the back of his chestplate.<br/>
Ah, the crowd. Many followers of Jshlatt, the man he had just betrayed and killed….<br/>
<em>Shit.</em></p><p>He grabbed another arrow from his belt as he moved to cover Wilbur from the quickly coming barrage of arrows. He could do this much, after having nearly killed Tubbo.</p><p>The crowd was quickly filled with an explosion of repeated fireworks as Tommy and Wilbur worked to retreat with Tubbo to the safety of Pogtopia.<br/>
Once most of the crowd had either retreated or fallen, Techno began his retreat as well, careful to make sure no one followed him into the safehaven of the shelter.</p><p>He knew what was to come.<br/>
He knew, and he was ready to face whatever punishment was to come for what he had done.<br/>
He just hoped the boy would be okay. <em>Whatever it took.</em></p>
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